Cannabidiol industry growing in Massachusetts

Friday

Tired of having to take what she described as a “pharmaceutical cocktail,” Beverly Barish in 2012 decided to seek an alternative remedy to treat her fibromyalgia and migraines.

At the time, Massachusetts had recently approved medical marijuana, which she was skeptical about at first. But after some research, Barish decided to give it a try and has since been pleased with the results.

“It’s a wonderful alternative to opioids and it worked for me,” Barish said.

Fast forward six years and Barish, along with her husband Robert, have opened a boutique book and wellness store called Wicked Chronic LLC in Natick.

The duo sells eclectic items, along with a type of cannabis called cannabidiol, or CBD, extracted from hemp -- marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin.

“We decided to open Wicked Chronic to get in the game a little bit, but without having to touch THC,” she explained.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. It makes people feel high when smoked, vaporized or otherwise consumed.

CBD, meanwhile, lacks the psychoactivity, meaning it doesn’t get you stoned. Proponents nonetheless have found CBD to have medical and economic value because it offers many of the same pain-relieving, medicinal qualities of marijuana, but without the mind-altering effects.

“It’s good for daytime use because it doesn’t alter your perception,” Barish said. “You can work and you can drive.”

Younger consumers largely seek it out to alleviate anxiety, Barish said, while older customers use it for acute and chronic pain. Demand for the latter could increase, especially as doctors prescribe fewer opioids and baby boomers get older.

“The fastest-growing consumer is 60 years or older because of the medicinal impact, and I think that’s what’s really going to drive CBD sales,” said Jim Borghesani, spokesman for the campaign to legalize marijuana in 2016.

The CBD industry also benefits from minimal regulatory oversight, giving it an edge over the highly scrutinized recreational-marijuana market in Massachusetts, which continues its slow and bumpy rollout. Retail sales, which could start this month, were widely expected to begin in July, but have been delayed.

At the same time, CBD sales are underway and on the rise. CBD products, including oils, salves and body lotions, can be purchased in wellness stores, smoke shops and even some gas stations across the state. Prices vary from $7 for lip balm to locally made tincture costing $99.

This year, Wicked Chronic tripled its sales compared to the same period last year, Barish said, and the owners have plans to open a second location in Western Massachusetts.

“More and more people are walking through the door and our numbers increase each month,” Barish said.

According to the research company New Frontier Data, the CBD industry nationwide is expected to be worth $2 billion by 2022. And other Massachusetts businesses are looking to take part in the growth.

Tinc, a cannabis-infused beverage startup looking to open in Georgetown, is expected to offer various cannabis-related products. In June, owners told Wicked Local Georgetown they were working on a CBD-infused water.

The CBD market is also finding success in other states, namely Oregon, where an oversupply of marijuana has pushed growers into the hemp market. According to the Associated Press, Oregon now has more hemp license applications than any other state besides Colorado.

Borghesani says a similar trend is less likely to happen in Massachusetts in the future, as regulators have the authority to limit or expand crop yield. But consumers do have sway and if the interest in CBD grows like it has in other states, more farmers could look to tap into the hemp industry.

Hemp farming became legal earlier this year in the Bay State and the state has since issued 14 licenses for growers and processors, according to the Mass. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Barish is optimistic more hemp production locally will give a boost to the CBD market and possibly drive down future costs. She’s also hopeful public interest surrounding CBD will continue to grow.

“I hope it becomes normal, I really do,” she said. “I believe in it.”

Eli Sherman is an investigative and in-depth reporter at Wicked Local and GateHouse Media. Email him at esherman@wickedlocal.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.